


Dust to Dust

by FourFaces



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Bad Ending, Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-07 03:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18612604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FourFaces/pseuds/FourFaces
Summary: "Taako looked down at the umbra staff.That fireball. Angus didn't cast it. He knew now that his sister had sent a message.She was in there. All he had to do was break the staff."Thank you to Sgell on the TAZ fic writer's discord for the idea! This is a bad end au. My husband yelled at me for this one ...





	Dust to Dust

Taako looked down at the umbra staff.

That fireball. Angus didn't cast it. He knew now that his sister had sent a message.

She was in there. All he had to do was break the staff.  
~

Lup could sense that Taako was holding the staff and she hoped, against all hope that now he knew she was there. That her brother could think of a way to safely free her.

Then she felt him place the umbra staff over his knee and her soul ran cold.

She didn't have enough magic, enough energy to stay together.  She would need to rest much longer after that spell she cast.

But she didn't have enough energy to tell him to stop, to send another signal.

She spread out her awareness one more time to give a final look to her brother.

To Barry.

 _I'm sorry_ , she thought.

With a crack, everything ended.

  
~

Even in the chaos, the world felt still.

Taako stared, dumbstruck, as dust poured out from his umbra staff.

Lup was gone.

Truly, actually gone.

"I … She was in there …" Taako whispered. "I felt her …"

"Taako …" Barry started.

"Where's the ship, Lucretia?" Taako asked, the calm in his voice unsettling everyone as they fought.

"Taako, now is not the time-" Lucretia started.

"Where. Is the fucking. Ship?" Taako repeated, his grip on the halves of the staff tightening.

"We kind of have a situation to deal with-" Killian gritted as she fought back a Hunger Soldier.

"You want to talk about a situation?" Taako growled. "I thought I had always been alone. I didn't know - I didn't remember and now that I finally remember the other half of my heart, she's…"

Taako steadied himself.

"Where is the ship?"

Barry looked to the floor. He stared at the dust pile, sparks of red lightning emerging from his fingertips.

He had been right there, near her, the whole time.

"Taako, we can't just leave!" Magnus started as he swung his sword. "We have lives here -"

"My sister is gone. My boyfriend is gone. If we leave now, I may be able to get one of them back!"

Lucretia slammed her staff on the ground and a bubble formed around her friends and allies, knocking the Hunger Soldiers away temporarily.

"Taako, I've already said I can't leave my kids," Merle said as he walked over to the elf.

"And when I finally die … I … I don't an afterlife without Julia."

"That's fucking great for you two," Taako started "but that's going to leave Barry and I with nothing. Get on the ship, we get Lup back."

"Taako, Lup wouldn't have wanted this," Magnus warned. "She made us all promise -"

"Well, I'm sure she didn't want to die either!" Taako snapped. "I've already been without her for ten years. I can't do it anymore! I want my sister back!"

Lucretia watched silently looking to Davenport. The gnome's expression looked grim and one look in the direction that he was staring was enough to know why.

Barry was kneeling over the dust, whispering incantations and murmuring under his breath, sparks crackling around him.

"Taako, I don't think -" Lucretia began.

"That's right! You don't think! You're the one who took everything away! Did you know she was in there, Lucretia? Did you know she was wasting away into dust?"

"Taako, I swear -"

"Fuck this! Fuck all of this!" Taako cried out. "Just tell me where the ship is, Luce. Tell me so that we can have her back. So that I can have her back!"

Barry wailed an ear shattering scream as sparks of red lightning arced over his body, snapping everyone out of the argument.

"Barry?" Magnus asked, carefully.

Everyone started to back away as Barry became more and more unstable, lightning arcing everywhere, nearly hitting his family.

"Shit," Lucretia whispered, trying hard to channel her spell. "He's going to break the shield."

Merle attempted to cast calm person but failed. They could all only watch as Barry came undone, his body burning as he howled in anguish.

 _ **"SHE'S GONE!**_ " He screamed before erupting into a spout of flame.

The fire burned hotter and hotter until Lucretia couldn't hold the barrier anymore. She looked around at her family. At Merle who was busy shielding Angus, bracing him so that when the shield fell, he might be safe. Magnus was facing the barrier, ready to fight when it came down. Killian and Carrie held hands as they braced for battle, sharing one final look of love. N0-3LLE was powering up an attack while Davenport climbed on top of her, ready to cast.

And then she looked at Taako who was simply staring at the spout of flame that was once his brother in law. At the dust that was once his sister.

This would be their last stand. This would be the end of their story.

"I'm so sorry," Lucretia whispered.

She stopped channeling her spell.

 


End file.
